My mother was a wonderful baker. Surprisingly, most of her baking she did without the aid of a cookbook. I hope my sharing brings back memories for you...for me, it's in my mother's kitchen, with her standing behind me, and letting me create.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Tea Time Blueberry Scones & A Special Give-Away

In the Summer of 1989, we took a family trip to "the Gold country" through Northern California and I planned the whole trip with B & B's that were listed in a cookbook I had just bought--The American Country Inn and Bed & Breakfast Cookbook by Kitty and Lucian Maynard. Our first stop was a little town called Murphys and Dunbar House, 1880 B & B. It appealed to me because it was where the television series, "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" was filmed and since that was my husband's favorite movie, it seemed a perfect place to begin.

However, it was at our second location, Jameson's: A Bed and Breakfast Inn in Sonora, California that my love of tea cups began. Each morning and afternoon, tea was served in their antique collection of tea cups and learning what to look for in collecting these endearing samples of history was shared. I bought my first tea cup at an antique store in the town. My collection has grown to sixteen through the years, with my eyes still on the lookout for the unusual, but valuable tea cups. The collection needed a place to display them and I found a lovely Victorian bow-front cabinet (a little more expensive than the tea cups :-D) that is the center of my dining room.

This morning, I created a blueberry scone to go along with a cup of tea, especially when you have a dear friend or sister visiting, although, my grandson Ari, would also love these anytime! I thought it would be perfect to show off a "Bonus Apron Give-Away" for May with tea-cups as the main fabric and an array of desserts for the contrast.

There's just a few days left in May to post, but I will put in all the names that have commented this month in the drawing. Good Luck!

Preheat oven to 375F-degrees. Place dried blueberries in a 2-cup glass measure and cover with water. Microwave for 1 minute and let set while you prepare the dough.In a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment, measure the dry ingredients. Cube the cold butter into 1/2-inch pieces and add to the dry ingredients.

Mix on med/low speed until the butter is incorporated. You should still see some small pieces of butter.Whisk the egg in a glass measure and add 3 (or more) tablespoons of heavy cream to equal one-half cup of liquid. Add the egg mixture and the carton of yogurt to your dough and mix just until it comes together. Drain well the blueberries and add to the dough.

Turn dough out onto a wooden board which has been lightly floured.

Being careful not to overwork the dough, bring it together, then, roll it to approximately a 9-inch circle that is 3/4 to 1-inch thick. At this point, you can cut it into 8 pie-shaped wedges, or roll into a rectangle and cut into squares, then, triangles, or use a biscuit cutter to cut circles.Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, with about an inch spacing between the scones. Use a wooden skewer to poke holes into the scones before brushing with an addition 1-2 T heavy cream.

Bake in the preheated oven 16 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheet once during baking. Let cool about 5 minutes (while you mix up the glaze.)

The glaze should be thin enough to brush on and cover the sides. I sprinkled some sliced almonds on top, but you can omit that or add your favorite topping.

That week in Northern California was one of our favorite trips. No television, fun times exploring, and lots of great food. Memories remembered. Enjoy!

My friends and I take turns on a monthly basis;entertaining each other! How fun it would be to serve your delectable scones in your lovely apronand tea ware...Many thanks, Cindijchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

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